Storm Damage to my 2016 Tab 320S :(

Ballermaris

It is one of those days when you think everything is going well until a storm hits. Low and behold a massive limb crashes down on the rear of the trailer. Thus ends a good day and the beginning of the insurance claim and repairs.

Ugh, what a day, and that thing will be going to an RV body shop.

elbereth

Ugh, so sorry!  Glad you were safe though.

Sharon_is_SAM

Sorry.  This is a good reminder to avoid parking under trees - especially when it rains, the limbs are extra heavy.  It looks very fixable and could have been a lot worse.  Keep us posted with the end result.

Ballermaris

The trailer was NOT directly under any trees. That massive limb fell from a tree 75 feet away which is 150-200 feet tall. We had straight-line winds recorded at the local airport at 70 mph during the incident. (We are 1.5 miles from it.)

Needless to say, said tree is coming down as soon as possible.

AirBoss

Ouch! Major bummer. Hope your repairs are swift and to your liking. 

Always hate to see trees being dropped but certainly understand your point. Is there a chance you could delimb it a bit and top it instead? 

Good luck with the repairs, @Ballermaris  

Verna

@AirBoss, the problem with straight line winds is they might be straight but they do as much damage to a tree as a tornado. I thought I saved one after straight line winds took 2/3rds if it, but within 5 years it had to come down because it was still weakened. It was 36” across at 6” from the ground, and it had been a sturdy hard maple tree before that. I always planted at least one tree, if not two, whoever I lost a tree there. It seemed to be the right thing to  replace it as the entire neighborhood used to be a very large woods.

Sharon_is_SAM

Wow!  Scared!

Ballermaris

I will let the insurance company decide that. I have now had to call the insurance company for the house too. I found a 10 in diameter limb today it shaved off the top of the privacy fence and so with the area of the roof possibly damaged now, I will let experts do the decision. I will ask that the tree come down because it has been shedding a considerable number.

Ballermaris

The T@B320S has been temporarily "bandaged" to prevent water entry. I decided to use Gorilla Duck Tape which is waterproof. It looks ugly, but gets the job done.

I decided to do an overlap, with the left side body panel "blue" was showing a slight gap. It looks like the damage can be repaired with a tig welder on the rear but that tail light unit and handle will have to be replaced along with the wood underside.

Then a repainting, and it will be a happy camper again.

I'll leave the Jeep hooked up till I get the call to bring it in. It makes it more simple than being rushed to get things connected. 

Hopefully the folks at the factory will not cringe too much.

jkjenn

I hate that this happened to you. I am so sorry.

The cost to replace the aluminum roof is significant. Be prepared to battle them totalling your T@b.

AirBoss

@jkjenn
While I'm sure the damage here is more than what is shown and beyond superficial, but to total the rig? Man...I'm in the wrong business! 

Ballermaris

Total? Uh no, that damage is completely fixable, and I will not total that camper. That crease can be TIG welded. (They will smooth out the DENT, WELD, SAND, PRIMER and then REPAINT.) This is because I asked if it is possible and they said no issues and that is the recommended fix. I will take the AFTER photo to show the repair.

Total the dang thing? What are people smoking? Shall I bring a 20-pound sledgehammer and demonstrate serious damage to an aluminum roof?

The hit was on the SLOPED end of the roof panel. Now if it had been a siding trailer, I would have been putting pieces in a recycling dumpster.

I noted that another limb JAMMED my shore power cord into the socket too. Sigh... So they got to get that one out too and replace the socket. No biggie. Insurance is covering it.

I am certainly NOT looking for a new Teardrop after this. I am happy with the little critter, and the looks are priceless when I am towing it with my Wrangler.

Denny16

No, that is not a major enough incident to get a trailer “totaled“
Very fixable.  Good luck.
cheers

ScottG

Right-O! T@Bs take a lickin' and keep on tickin'!

AirBoss

@ScottG
Ouch! Is that your rig? 

ScottG

Yep. Looks a lot worse than it was, though. The branch just kinda' laid down in the thick snow on top. The only evidence of the incident is one small dimple in the aluminum roof skin where I think the broken stump of a branch might have poked it a little hard.

Ballermaris

The T@B trailers are surprisingly resilient. I had the cover off as I was working on stuff on the inside, so in the end, I had to offload everything to take it to the dealer which thankfully is an authorized service center for the T@B.